The Clique
by ChaPow
Summary: Claire Danvers has been bullied ever since she entered high school. Feeling the strain of keeping quiet to her parents and trying to avoid her main tormentor Monica Morrell, what happens when 3 new students make an entrance and capture the attention from the entire school? Will she finally gain some recognition or has she gained some new bullies? High School-fic
1. Chapter 1

**I don't know whether to feel confident or not about this fic; especially when the inspiration came to me while I was on my break at work, eating a chicken wing... Oh well.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Morganville characters, the amazing Rachel Caine does.**

Claire Danvers fell to the floor with a painful grunt as she was kicked in the back. She could feel everyone in the cafeteria watching her, she could hear them all snickering about her as she slowly tried to return her feet to their former setting in the upright position. She blinked tears out of her eyes as a tinkling laughter rose above the rest. Turning her head slightly, she could see her tormenter through the veil of her dishevelled hair; Monica Morrell. She stood in towering pink heels, designer jeans and a tight-fitting pink halter-neck. Her shining black hair with blonde highlights whipped over her shoulder as she tossed her head, her pretty blue eyes outlined expertly in black outliner and black mascara accentuates her long, delicate eyelashes. Her pouty lips glistened in the sunlight streaming in from the window as it hit her clear lip gloss. She was a pretty girl, model material; the perfect head cheerleader in a Texas high school. But those pouty lips were twisted in a cruel sneer, her baby blue eyes cold and unyielding and glistening with excitement as they narrowed on her prey.

"Oh my God, the baby is crying again" Monica said loudly before letting out that tinkling laugh again which was only made louder by the echoing laugh of the other students joining in. Claire looked from left the right, glancing at all the students as she tried to back away, covering her ears in a desperate attempt to block out the harsh taunts from her classmates. She could see the jocks in the corner, laughing and high-fiving each other, the Goths cackling at her suffering from behind her, the geeks giggling nervously from the left of her. She spotted Jennifer and Gina, Monica's right-hand girls, or the Moniquettes as Claire liked to call them, were snickering on either side of her. They were wearing clothes similar to Monica, all designer but they looked like Monica's old knockoffs and last seasons clothes.

The faces started to blur together as Claire felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks and she buried her face in her arm, hiding her face and blocking out those of her jeering peers before turning around and sprinting out of the cafeteria. This was just an average day for Claire Danvers but nothing prepared her for the change that was about to occur.

* * *

Soft, strumming of an acoustic guitar filled the black Hearst as it glided along the road. The car carried 3 people; one in the back, two in the front.

"Do we really have to do this?" a deep, masculine voice whined.

"Yes, we do. You got us kicked out of the last school we went too" replied a more feminine voice.

"Hey that wasn't my fault, that teacher was an asshat!"

"An asshat, really?"

"Oh shut up. You could totally tell he was picking on me".

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you had to set his ass on fire." A snort echoed through the car.

"You have to admit, it was funny though. I bet the video is still on Facebook."

"It was but it got us kicked out and this is the third time we have had to move. Now, if you don't behave at this school, I swear to God I will kick your ass so hard…"

"Will you two stop squabbling? How am I supposed to concentrate with you two arguing all the time?" a third voice interjected, deep and masculine like the first voice.

"Awe sorry Mr Rock star did we interrupt your nap asshole" the first voice sniped. The figure of the third voice didn't even grace the snipe with a response, just gave it a middle-finger salute.

"Thanks for that… Asswipe."

"You reeeeaaallly need to expand your insult vocabulary. And before you ask, adding ass in front of different words does not count" the feminine voice stated, rejoining the conversation.

"Whatever you say Dracula."

"Slacker."

"Fang-Banger."

"Mr McStabby."

"Are you insulting my culinary skills?"

Snort. "What Culinary Skills?"

"Why you…"

"We're here" the third voice interrupted their argument smoothly again and all the occupants in the car glanced through slightly tinted windows of the Hearst to see a large iron gate in front of a huge school.

The owner of the first voice sighed and flopped back into his seat.

"And here we go again."

**So what do you think. I will try to update as much as I can but I am also writing another morganville fic at the same time as this one so it may take some time.**

**Review and tell me what you think and I would love if you guys suggested some ideas for my fics I am currently writing or even request some fics of your own. **

**ChaPow Out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey so thank you to all of you who reviewed. I'm so glad your interested in my story. Sobia, I am glad you like my story but I have to be honest, I am taking some elements from the book so there may be some acid throwing on poor claire so I think you should be prepared for some violence happening in future chaptors. Sorry! I hope it doesn't distress you to much.**

**Since I am writing several stories at the same time as this one, I gave you quite a long chapter, at least it took me long to write it lol, to keep you happy until I next update.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Morganville characters or any of the scenes or quotes i have BORROWED from the book.**

The Reception for Morganville High was littered with students, all of them texting, chatting, chewing, whining, running, kissing, and doing all those things that make them the bane of all teacher's existences. The room was loud and noisy with the atmosphere of a typical high school; overbearing, crowded and threatening to suck all of the oxygen out of the brains of the teachers.

The automatic doors to the entrance opened and it seemed as if time had stopped. Like a scene from a really bad teen high school movie, three unrecognizable, at least to the students in the reception, stepped over the threshold, with every head turning to look at them. They all watched, mouths catching flies, as the three new teens strutted past them.

The first teen was a girl and there was only one way to describe this girl; Goth. She wore a black long sleeved shirt with a 'bloody handprint on it' with the words 'nothing to worry about, this is not my blood'. She wore a frilly black skirt with chains hanging off it, black studded tights and black combat boots with the tips coated in silver. He arms were covered with long fishnet gloves up to her elbow and around her slender neck was a necklace of what looked to be stakes. Her skin was powdered and pale, her eyes blackened as dark as night and her lips looked dead with corpse blue lipstick. Ironically, despite the whole depressing outfit, her silky black hair was pulled in to two bunches that stuck out on the side of her head with more perkiness than a cheerleader.

The girl had an interesting feature draped around her shoulder; an arm which, if you followed it back to its owner, led to one of the hottest men the female population of Texas, and maybe even the USA, had ever seen. The guy was tall and broad, his muscles well defined underneath his Linkin Park shirt. He wore black combat trousers and plain old trainers on his feet. His face could be described as of that of an angel; he had soft, messy, curly blond hair that framed his face, a charmingly toothy smile and pale blue eyes that gazed softly down at the Goth girl he currently had his arm resting gently around. Strapped to his back was an acoustic guitar that looked slightly worn but still in good use. The Goth girl and the Angel were clearly a couple and the hope in most of the female students deflated out of them at the revelation.

Instead they turned their lustful gazes to the final member of the trio; also male; he seemed to be the exact opposite of his charming friend. He wore trainers on his feet, tight fitting Jeans that rode low on his hips and would have exposed his boxers had it not been for the dark navy hood he wore on top. His hair was long and cut to sweep over his eyes, not in a Justin Beiber way, but in a slacker kind of way. His eyes were dark brown, his skin a golden tan and he had sinful lips that could smirk or smile with a different, more lethal kind of charm than his friend.

All in all, the three strangers were the centre of attention that had the entire reception drooling. As they watched them walked through the crowd to the front desk, cell phones were whipped out, and the whole school was buzzing quicker than a bee to honey.

The three reached the front desk and the angel leaned on it an asked in a deep, throaty voice, "hi, my names Michael Glass. This is Eve Rosser and Shane Collins; we are the new transfers and are here to collect our new schedules!"

The secretary at the desk gained a pink tint to her cheeks when Michael flashed a smile, and began rifling through the papers on her desk in a fluster.

"Oh yes, that's right the new transfers. I had your schedules here a minute ago… I…. think… I… have… Found them" she announced with a flourish. She presented the timetables to them with slightly shaking hands just as the bell rung. She directed them to their first class, which was chemistry' before going back to the magazine she had been reading before, her tint starting to fade from her cheeks.

Upon arriving at their destination, they opened the door and a soft light from the sun seemed to envelop them. The room, which had been filled with screaming, laughing students that were throwing paper aeroplanes and chewing gum while filing their nails (how typically cliché), seemed to fall into a hush at their entrance. The teacher, which had been reading a book while eating an apple, glanced up at them before sighing and removing his glasses. He looked like a Hippy; he was middle-aged with a fit body that showed he was still in shape, he wore a colourful tshirt and had long graying hair tied back in a long ponytail.

"You must be the new transfer students. My name is Mr Jacobs but you may call me Oliver. Why don't you tell us your names?"

"Eve Rosser."

"Michael Glass."

"Shane Collins."

"Okay, well thank you for that. Monica, will you come here and show them to their desks?"

Monica rose from her seat and walked towards the newcomers with a shining smile on her face. She smiled at Michael mostly but upon seeing him holding hands with Eve, turned her attention to Shane. Winking she grabbed Shane's hand before turning around and shimmying back to her seat saying, "It is so nice to meet you. As you know my name is Monica and I'm the head cheerleader. If you ever need anything… and I mean Anything, just come to me".

She sat elegantly down in her chair before smiling back at Shane. Shane and Michael exchanged glances and sat down in their chairs. Eve just snorted and flopped into hers.

"Well I suppose that since you managed to calm the class down with your entrance I can actually teach some chemistry. Before we start you should know that I am not prejudiced and will not pick on you for any reason; I hate all pupils equally. And you should let me know if any of you are imbeciles and is having so much trouble keeping up your brain starts to smoke from the strain" Oliver stated with a straight face.

Most of the students have started snickering during Mr Jacobs's speech and Eve, Shane and Michael all exchanged amused glances before settling back in their chairs. Mr Jacobs started to turn back to the board when the door burst open again with a bang.

* * *

Claire sat on the toilet seat, with the lid down of course, and wiped her eyes with a tissue in an attempt to stop herself from sniffling. She couldn't understand why the whole school treated her this way; she knew why Monica did and she could remember the day her fate had been sealed very well.

_Monica and some jocks were walking out of history while rubbing sleep out of their eyes, some with a red criss-cross pattern implanted on their face where they had slept on the desk. Monica sighed and tossed her hair in annoyance._

"_God, I hate history! Why does it have to be so boring?" she huffed. Some of jocks made some incoherent noises, evidently still taking a long time for their tiny, pea size brains to wake up._

"_I mean why we have to learn about the stupid Chinese thing" Monica ploughed on with no regards to her zombie-like companions. Claire, who had been shuffling behind them, had been paying attention during the class about World War Two and couldn't help but need to correct her. _

"_It wasn't Chinese". With that one sentence, the world seemed to stop and zero in on her. The Jocks and the cheerleaders blinked; why was this insignificant creature talking to them? Claire flushed, having never had so much attention before, and stumbled over her words in an effort to explain. _

"_T-t-the Chinese thing your thinking about is the Korean War a-a-and that didn't happen until after World War Two. What we just learned in class was the…. Um… war with the Germans and the Japanese… you know, like Pearl Habour?"_

_There was silence and then the hallway ruptured with the sound of laughter, at Monica's expense. _

"_Chinese thing… how could you be so stupid…. I can't, I can't…. Breathe" One of the Jocks choked out as he clutched his stomach in laughter. Monica flushed and glared daggers at Claire before flipping her hair and flirting with the jocks again. And so Claire became Monica's new target for target practice._

The door to the bathroom opened and Claire was disrupted from her musings by the sound of three pairs of stiletto heels clunking in. She quickly drew her legs up on the toilet seat and held her breath. She could hear Monica and the moniquettes shuffling around in front of the mirrors, probably fluffing their already perfect hair and reapplying their make-up even thought it probably looked the same as it did when they put it on in the morning.

"Oh my God, I think I have a zit the size of mount Elvis" floated Gina's nasally voice.

"It's called Mount Everest dummy" Jennifer replied scornfully.

"Whatever, you know I'm not good at History."

"Girls, how am I supposed to concentrate on getting my make-up perfect if you two keep whining?"

Monica's voice was sharp with annoyance and it fell silent instantly. Claire was breathing heavily; she could feel the sweat rolling down her neck in her effort to not make a sound lest she be discovered. She could feel her heart beating erratically and she began panicking that the three girls would hear it. The silence was defeaning, until it was sliced through cleanly like a knife by the sound of a cell phone announcing a text message.

"Ooooh, I just got a text from Kelly…"

"You have Kelly's number? Why Gina? That girl is such a whore!"

"Like your one to talk Jen."

"Just shut up and read what it says."

"Sorry Mon." There was silence for at least five minutes, that's as long as it took for Gina to figure out to piece all the wiggly symbols into words, and then she made a loud screeching sound that sounded like it was supposed to be a squeal.

"I have so much gossip. Kelly just told me that apparently we have some transfer students and two of them are fine, hunky guys."

"Is that so?" Claire could hear the smirk in Monica's voice and could almost imagine her pouting her lips in the mirror. "Well I suggest we help become acquainted with our fine school" Monica purred and started to stalk towards the door with Gina and Jennifer right on her heels. That is where Claire's luck ran out and her back which had been perched precariously on her lap, slipped onto the floor with a bang from all the textbooks it held. Claire gasped and looked at the door when she heard the footsteps paused by the door. She stayed still, held her breath and prayed to whatever God was out there to help her. A couple seconds later, the footsteps resumed their pace and the door closed with a slam.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief, before she heard the sound of the door being locked. Panicking she unlocked the stall she was in and ran to the door tugging it open. Seeing that it wouldn't budge she pulled out her cell phone and dialled the number of the main reception. At the sound of the bored greeting of the receptionist who, by the sounds of it, was filing her nails, Claire stated her name and that she was locked in the toilets and if a janitor could be sent to unlock the door.

Claire heard the receptionist confirm she would send someone and shut her phone just as the bell rung.

10 minutes later, she heard the sound of rustling keys and stood up, grabbing her backpack before rushing past the janitor, waving her thanks to him. She rushed to the door to her chemistry room and flung the door open.

* * *

The whole class glanced in unison to see who had interrupted the class. Shane craned his neck and saw a petite girl with shoulder length brown hair with blonde highlights. She was breathing heavily with her hands on her knees and a large backpack was perched on her shoulders. She wore converses, blue Jeans and a nice silky blue blouse. 'She's pretty' Shane mused to himself as he watched the girl straighten up and turn to the teacher, who stood before her with his arms folded disapprovingly.

"You're late Miss Danvers".

"But Sir, it wasn't my fault; I was locked in the toilets". Her voice was delicate, soft and had a nice ring to it and Shane found himself straining to hear her speak again. She had a pleading look in her gentle brown eyes and she was clutching her arms tightly.

"A likely story Claire. Now I don't want to hear your excuses, go to your seat and sit down" Oliver barked before turning to face the board again. Shane watched as Claire's shoulders slumped in defeat before shuffling to her seat and sitting down dejectedly. She started pulling her textbooks out and a notepad which surprised him. Glancing around, he noticed that none of the other students had pulled any type of equipment out and neither had he, Michael or Eve but that's because they didn't have their textbooks yet. He could tell she was different, there was something about Claire that intrigued Shane but he couldn't quite work out what.

"Psst." Glancing to the side Shane leaned towards Eve to hear what she had to say. "I saw you looking at that girl Claire. She's pretty" Eve whispered, grinning. Shane glanced at the back of Claire's head, watching her form and she scribbled down notes from the board before turning back to Eve.

"I don't know what it is. There is something different about her…"

"Shane Collins and Eve Rosser! I know you're new in this school but I'm sure it doesn't work too differently from your previous schools. Stop whispering and pay attention" Oliver interrupted.

Shane and Eve rolled their eyes before glancing at each other and giving each other a nod that said 'later'. Getting comfortable, Shane prepared himself for the boring lesson ahead, thinking about how he was going to introduce himself to Claire.

**Well I hoped you like this chapter, God knows it tired me out writing it. **

**You know the drill; Review, Review and Review.**

**ChaPow Out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey so I'm not quite sure where what kind of mind state I was in when I wrote this chapter so if it seems kind of random to you or basically just awful please let me know. Also I feel obliged to tell you that I'm from the UK so if some of the American high school terminology is wrong like calculus or something please tell me and I will try to correct it. I'm sorry you had to wait long so I think this is my longest chapter yet;**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville and I am also sad to admit that some of these jokes I did not come up with.**

By the time lunch had rolled about, Shane felt he was about done with this new school and his classes. Sitting in history had been a bore so it was only natural for him to slump in his chair and take a nap but nooooo, the teacher decided to wake him up by throwing a ruler at his head.

Is that even legal? Then he had to sit through calculus and he felt like he could just about die. Luckily for him he had something to occupy his mind with...

He could not seem to get that girl out of his head; he kept on examining his image of her as if he could make new discoveries the longer he looked at her. The way her hair had shone from the light through the window, the flutter of her eyelashes, her soft lips that gently parted when she spoke….

'God I sound like a pervert' Shane mused to himself. A sharp elbow to the ribs jerked him out of his perverted mind and back to reality.

"Hey watch where you poke that thing Eve; you could take someone's eye out!"

"Well if someone was actually paying attention, I wouldn't have to resort to such an act. Maybe if you got your head out of the clouds we might actually be able to have an actual conversation. What on earth were you thinking about…. on second thought I don't want to know!"

"Hey have you ever been in my mind?" Eve shuddered dramatically and clutched her arms with her hands.

"Ewww no, its probably icky up there, rusty and full of spider webs from lack of use…then again you're a medical marvel!"

"What do you mean?"

"Your proof that people can live without a brain!" Michael joined the two as they started bickering and the three made their way to the cafeteria. Upon entering through the double doors that faintly reminded Shane of prison doors that have to be opened by two muscular guards on steroids, they looked around and saw that this school… was no different from any other high school.

* * *

People have often described high school as a jungle and, in a way, they're right. Looking around, each table had a different species of teens. There was the Emos and Goths, the nerds, the band group, the book worms, the math geeks, the drama students, the art students, the punks, the skaters, the choir students, and the wannabes.

If a member strayed away from its herd, it would instantly be pounced on the dominant group in the Jungle; the Jocks and the Cheerleaders.

Scanning the cafeteria it became apparent to the three that there were no tables where they could sit just the three of them. Somehow it seemed to escape their notice that the whole cafeteria had stopped to stare at them in complete silence; this was the moment. The moment when a clique would hopefully gain a new member. The Goths and the Emos would eyeing up Eve; several of them were practicing rituals in their mind, preparing to welcome her into the fold. The band group were staring intensely at Michael and the punks were nonchalantly watching Shane.

* * *

Over at the Cheerleaders table, Monica was sitting on the top of the table with a self-satisfied look on her face; she seemed confident that the three would choose to sit with her at the popular table. She tossed her hair over her shoulder with a dainty flick of her hand and let out that silvery laugh so as to gain Shane and Michael's attention (she wasn't really bothered about Eve).

She watched with increasing frustration as the three barely glanced in her direction, and as they started heading towards a table…

Shane sighed as he heard that girl shrieking to get his attention.

* * *

"Where do you wanna sit" he heard Michael ask. Doing another sweeping search of the room again, he paused and did a double take as he noticed something he failed to notice before.

Sitting near the back, on her own, was Claire. Unlike the rest of the students, she wasn't paying any attention to them; instead she appeared absorbed in a book she was reading, jotting down notes in a frenzy as if she would forget them if they weren't on paper.

Shane watched her for a couple of seconds before he heard Eve clear her voice.

"Why don't we go sit with Claire?" Shane and Michael glanced at her and she told them, "I had her in Chem. Class and we were partnered together. She seems quite normal, maybe a little shy and quiet but a sweet girl".

Glancing at Shane slyly she continued, "And I've seen the way you have been eyeing her all day since you first saw her… don't you want to introduce yourself stud? Besides it must be better than sitting with Paris Hilton over there!"

Shane and Michael snorted before the three started to make their way to her table, weaving in an out of disappointed cliques that quickly grew shocked when they realised who the three new students were heading for.

* * *

Claire chewed on the end of her pen as she considered the physics equation before her. In the back of her mind she was aware of the drama unfolding in the cafeteria but she paid no attention to it; it wouldn't involve her anyway. So she was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps and three bags being dropped on her table.

Glancing up, she watched as the three transfer students started to make themselves comfortable at her table. Her eyes narrowed distrustfully. She stared at them and they stared back; the whole cafeteria was holding their breath. Finally, Claire decided to break the silence.

"Hey…are you guys lost or something? Because I can draw you a map of where you're supposed to sit. It's right around" she brought her hand round in a sweeping motion, gesturing to the rest of the cafeteria, "there."

"No silly we decided to sit with you. I'm Eve but we already met. This blue eyed angel with the heavenly voice is Michael and the guy with the bed head is Shane."

"Hey…"

"Was sup…"

Claire let loose a tense smile and replied, "Well it was nice meeting you but I have to go." With that she started to shoulder her bag and gather up her books.

Eve stood up and clasped her shoulder as she tried to walk past.

"Where are you going, we don't want you to leave?"

"Listen, since your new here I understand that you don't really know what the situation is around here so let me enlighten you… I am a loner, I don't sit with anyone, and I don't have any friends or any groups that I am a part of. Anyone who is friends with me becomes an enemy of Monica and trust me when I say you don't want that. Besides, it is clear that Monica has taken a liking to you, so it's at her table with the Jocks and the Cheerleaders that you belong."

Finishing her speech, Claire flushed faintly before looking down at her shoes, her arms tightening around the physics book in her arms. She could feel the transfer students exchanging glances with each other and she could almost imagine what they were thinking.

'It's better this way. I need to learn from my mistakes, anyone who has ever tried to befriend is always driven away in the end whether its willingly or not' Claire told herself sharply. She stiffened when she heard the high pitched voice of Monica Morrell standing behind her.

"Well, well if it isn't the human tap. How's it going little Claire? Still hugging your little teddy bear at night while you weep yourself to sleep" Monica let loose another tinkling laugh and Claire closed her eyes as she heard the rest of the cafeteria join in.

If she had been paying attention she would have noticed how Shane's and Michael's eyes were narrowed at Monica and the way Eve was watching her sympathetically.

"Oh Michael, Shane… and err… Eden, why don't you come and sit with us. It will be so much better than sitting with her; all she ever does is sit and read its terribly boring" Monica husked, flipping her hair and lowing her eyes in what she probably considered to be a seductive pout.

To Shane, it looked like she had gone cross-eyed looking for the nose the plastic surgeon gave her and her lips were pushed out making her look like a duck.

"It's Eve, and no thanks we would much rather stay here" Eve replied, a smile so fake on her face it almost looked sinister. Claire glanced up in shock and quickly glanced at Monica's face to see her reaction, hands readjusting the books in her hands in case they were needed in defence.

Monica's smirk had slowly faded into a frown. Obviously ruffled, Monica eyes shifted from left to right, glancing at the other students watching the exchange; she wasn't used to being turned down and it was looking bad for her reputation.

"Well you can sit with her if you want… Eve was it" dismissing Eve with a wave of her hand Monica turned another blinding smile to the two boys, "how about it, wanna sit with the head cheerleader."

"Not particularly" Michael retorted, also flashing Monica a toothy smile almost as fake as her breasts. Monica's smile slipped from her face more quickly now; a hard glint had entered her eyes.

"You don't seem to be aware of who your messing with here" she stated in a cold voice.

"Oh really… please enlighten us" Shane sneered at Monica as he leaned back against the table with his hands behind his head. Claire watched with morbid curiosity as the three students began antagonizing one of the most influential people in the town; she couldn't help but be grateful that Shane, Eve and Michael, three strangers who barely knew her were willing to stand up to the Queen Bitch of Morganville High.

"My daddy is the mayor this town and my brother is head of the police force" Monica said smugly.

"Really… well my brothers' an asshole and currently in Jail… what about you Shane, what's your dad like?" Eve turned to Shane which a humorous glint in her eyes.

"My dad, oh he was an asshole… couldn't wait to be shot of him, what about you Mickey what are your rents like?"

"Oh you know same old same old. Hey Shane, I heard you sent your dad an email on his birthday the other day."

"Oh yeah, I got all sentimental on his ass and sent him a poem;

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

If I had a brick,

I'd throw it at you."

"It's beautiful, poetic genius" Eve sobbed wiping a fake tear from her eye.

Claire watched barely containing her laughter as the three continued their comedy act, completely ignoring Monica who was fuming in the corner. She wasn't the only one; other students were biting their lips as the three new students totally dismissed Monica's declaration and started to mock her for it.

"…and next year I'm sending him another poem that goes like this;

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Your face looks funny…."

"SHUT UPPPPPPPPP" Shane was interrupted by an enraged shriek coming from Monica and he watched with increasing amusement as Monica stopped screaming and stood there breathing heavily, glaring death at the three.

"Awww but that poem was my best yet, it took my 3 hours to come up with" Shane whined.

"So that was the source of smoke coming from your ears" Eve shot in.

"You are going to regret mocking me" Monica hissed her eyes burning furiously. Turning sharply she shoved past Claire knocking her to the floor. Monica stopped heavily out of the cafeteria, students scurrying out of the way as if it was Godzilla attacking Manhattan. Gina and Jennifer scurried after her as best they could in their towering pink heels. Claire even swore she saw Gina totter dangerously on the edge of her heel near the doors before she righted herself and continued on at a slower place.

Claire started to heave herself up when she saw a tan hand enter her vision.

"Here" a voice called to her.

Looking up she saw Shane crouching down in front of her with a warm smile directed at her. The smile was beautiful and made Shane look all the more hot. She felt warmth she had never felt before spread from her cheeks down her neck to her heart. Her heart began to speed up and she gave him a tentative smile.

Reaching out to grasp his hand she let him pull her gently to her feet and for a moment she could have sworn he held her hand for a little longer than necessary before letting go.

**There you go, Chapter number 3... I want to thank again all the people who have been making suggestion for future chapters, I am considering all of them and I might even give you a reference if I use any of your ideas so that you get the credit.**

**Please Review because I love your comments, positive and negative, I live to serve you fans.**

**ChaPow Out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey I am sssooooooo sorry for the long wait but my teachers are evil and they want to ruin my life, my writing career by adding a load of work on me. Anyway, since I know how annoying it is to have to keep checking and waiting for an update, I have decided that the deadline for each update for this story will be every wednesday, thursday at the latest. If I am late updating, then I will update two chapters at once.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville, all the rights belong to the amazing Rachel Caine**

It seemed like the longest day in history to Claire, but finally the school bell rung; she half expected all the students to throw their papers up in the air and start singing and dancing in some kind of high school musical cliché.

Claire shuddered slightly at the thought, drawing some curious looks in her direction.

Gathering her textbooks and shouldering her backpack she exited the classroom and made her way to her locker.

Putting in the combination, she swung the door open and started to stuff her books into her already bulging locker.

All attempts at doing this were stopped cold when a sharp and bony shoulder clad in a designer shirt pushed past her roughly, causing her to slip slightly on a piece of paper that had floated to the ground. She swivelled round and banged the back of her head on the lockers before sliding down into a sitting position, her legs folded beneath her.

She then heard the tell tale whoosh as her textbooks fell out and landed harshly on the top of her head. Gasping in pain, she reached up her hand and felt a massive lump forming whilst simultaneously trying to keep her eyes from leaking with salty liquid.

"Hey Loser, watch where your going" Monica growled at her before twirling around on her heel and prancing down the hall. The Jocks and Cheerleaders all laughed and followed, turning their heads while mouthing the words 'Loser' and their hands made an L shape against their foreheads towards her.

Groaning, Claire held a dainty hand against her forehead like she was trying to push the pain into the back of her mind. Blindly she reached a hand out, fumbling for her textbooks while waiting for the room to stop spinning.

Suddenly she heard the echo of footsteps walking towards and normally she would be inclined to ignore them, except a tan hand had entered her vision and had scooped up her textbook.

Sharply tilting her head up, wincing as nausea swept through her like a tidal wave at the action, she saw Shane crouching down before her.

Grinning he said, "You know, we have to stop meeting like this".

Claire frowned at that.

"What are you talking about? This has only happened once!"

"I know but I've always wanted to try those stupid cliché lines they say in those romantic films". Again he grinned at her, with a fluttering of his lashes for added effect.

Rolling her eyes, Claire tried to ignore the warm feeling spreading through her body at the idea that he was trying a line on her.

Reaching out she was about to pick up her textbooks when her hand gently brushed Shane's.

She inhaled sharply as a faint blush was painted on her pale cheeks. '_Stop it Claire. You are not in one of those cliché love movies and he is most definitely not interested in you_' she told herself sharply.

Trying to move quickly, she stood up only to bang her head on her open locker door.

'Ow' she exclaimed, dropping to the floor to clutch her head again. She heard the students that were still around burst into laughter and their hurtful comments bounced around her ringing ears.

"_Did you see that?"_

"_What an Idiot…"_

"_Only that Loser would do something pathetic as that…"_

The whispers were stopped by a harsh glare sent to the surrounding students from Shane. He had heard everything and it made anger pulse around his body at the comments about Claire.

His gaze turned much softer as it was switched from the worthless teenagers around them to the delicate petite girl currently whimpering in pain and embarrassment.

He felt something in his heart at the sight of tears leaking from clenched eyes down ivory skin. Despite how adorable the huge blush that spread down that tantalizing neck, he did not like Claire having to suffer the humiliation.

"Hey, are you okay" he asked in such a soft voice, Eve would have done a double-take had she been there to witness it. When Claire cracked a pained eye open to look at him, he found himself stuttering to amend what he just said.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question. Of course you're not alright."

A faint smile found its way onto Claire's face at seeing Shane so flustered, although Shane mistook it for a grimace of pain.

"Come on, I'm taking you to the nurses office".

Gently, Shane slid his hands beneath Claire's arms and pulled her up to her feet. Then he slowly slid her arm round his neck while his arm held her small waist. They walked down the corridor before Shane paused.

Claire gave him a questioning look through the pain pulsing through her head and heard him chuckle nervously while his unoccupied hand reached up to rub the back of his neck.

"I just remembered, I don't know where the Nurse's office is".

A small chuckle escaped Claire's mouth, surprising Shane and even Claire herself.

"It's this way" she said softly and she started to lead Shane towards the Nurse's office. So focussed on making her way there she failed to notice the way Shane's eyes seem to glimmer more brightly when he looked at her.

* * *

"Here, just keep the ice pack on it and she should be just as good as new" the Nurse told Shane while she gently held the ice pack to Claire's head.

"Thank you very much Nurse…" he replied, squinting as he tried to make out her name tag.

"Just call me Nurse Hannah. Everyone does. Little Claire here more than others" Nurse Hannah replied.

Nurse Hannah was quite a sight; gorgeous brown hair in a French plaint that ran down her back to her waist, dark skin and warm, yet hard brown eyes. She looked to be in her late 30s, had a very fit body and a small scar underneath her right eye.

Behind her on the wall were several awards and medals for her work in Afghanistan while she served in the army. In the middle there was a framed photo of Hannah smiling while surrounded by all her army buddies. All Male!

'_Nice_' Shane thought absent-mindedly to himself before he focused on Hannah's previous statement.

"What do you mean by that".

Hannah's smile instantly disappeared and she turned sad eyes on the top of Claire's head.

"Claire has been in this office more than all the students in this school put together, with sprained ankles, burns and all kinds of bruises. She insists every time that it is entirely her fault; that she slipped and fell down the stairs or bumped into a door that caused a hand-shaped bruise".

Hannah's eyes became sharp and hard as she turned them on Shane.

"Your not going to become another door, are you Shane?"

"No Ma'am" Shane replied respectively but with a determined and honest gleam in his eyes that had Hannah instantly relaxing her tough exterior and she turned her attention back to Claire, who had her gaze stuck firmly on the marble floor, avoiding all contact with Shane.

"There you go Claire, just keep this to your head and you should be good to go".

"Thank you" she mumbled, and gathered up her backpack which Shane had had the forethought to pick up after he had shoved the textbooks into Claire's locker and then helped Claire to the Nurse's office.

* * *

Slowly, the two made their way to the front of the school, which was now completely empty.

Shane shivered, he had never stayed so late after school.

"Are you gonna be alright getting home?"

Claire felt another flare of warmth spread through her body at the concern evident in his voice and once again she suppressed it with some irritation.

"I'll be fine, my parents are here anyway". Lifting her hand, she pointed to a red car that was parked on the opposite side of the road.

Turning her gaze on Shane she asked him the same.

"Nah don't worry about me. My house isn't two far from me and if I need to I can always call Michael to come and get me. God knows he needs the exercise" Shane dismissed the question with a wave of his hand and cracked a crooked grin that made Claire blushed.

She started to cross the road when a question made her pause.

"See you tomorrow?"

She turned towards him, her eyes searching his when finally she gave him a gentle smile and a slight nod of the head. His reaction was instantaneous. His heart sped up and he found it difficult to swallow.

The light made her blonde highlights glow and she looked so angelic, so beautiful….

The scene was broken as she turned and jogged to the car and got in the backseat. Shane watched as she waved to him as the car drove off.

He stayed like that before he finally willed his feet to start to move. He slowly made his way down the street, as if in a daze.

But as the fact that Claire was finally opening up to him sank in, a grin stretched his mouth and he let out a whoop of joy that caused people to stop and stare at him, occasionally dogging out of his way as if he were crazy.

**Tell me, does Shane seem a bit OOC? I tried to make him witty but I don't think I quite achieved that.**

**Anyway, give me a review. Good? Bad? Awful? So horrifying Ive ruined fanfiction for you forever? (Please let it not be so!)**

**Also if anyone had any request fics, I would be glad to write them for you. PM me or leave a review because I read each and everyone of your reviews... which at the moment isn't loads but I love everyone who has reviewed. You all get virtual hugs and kisses.**

**ChaPow Out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow this is my longest chapter yet... I felt the words literally pour from my head and through my hands. My parents thought I would break the laptop with how furiously I was typing. I just wanted to give some credit to Sobia for coming up with the idea that inspired this next Chapter.**

**Thank you Sobia and everyone who has been reading my story and waiting patiently for every update. you guys are amazing!**

**Just a little info; the name baby sumo was what my dad called my little sister because she was just such a fat little baby lol. Couldnt resist putting it in there!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Morganville x**

Light streamed in from the window, casting shadows through the pink curtains that framed it. The light illuminated the room, allowing any curious eyes to see faded pink painted walls, a studious desk by the door and a big sturdy bed with baby pink covers beneath the window. A mahogany wardrobe stood stiff in the corner and a small TV was placed on top of an old fashioned dresser. All around the room, thick books were stacked on top of each other; each pile stacked precariously to a dangerous height.

Claire lay face up on her bed; one hand stroking her sleeping cat that lay peacefully next to her while her other hand clutched a blood red leather-bound book to her chest. Her hair was fanned out beneath her on her pillow and she watched in a daze as the ceiling fan swung slowly round and round, sweeping a calming breeze over her body, cooling her down from the blazing summer heat.

Letting out a sigh, Claire closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander over to the very thing that had been bugging her all day.

_Shane Collins._

Just his name brought a fluttery feeling to Claire's heart and she lifted her hand from her purring feline companion to clutch her chest, bunching up her delicate, white summer dress. She felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of his sweeping brown hair, that devilish twinkle in his eyes as he smiles that wickedly crooked grin.

She opened her eyes and let out a silvery giggle that was pleasant to the ear.

Turning over swiftly onto her stomach, she readjusted her diary so it was placed in front of her, letting out another giggle when her disgruntled cat rose from its disrupted position and walked in front of her face, flicking his sleek black tail onto her nose.

"Sorry about that Woodrow, I didn't mean to jog you from your slumber."

Her cat, named after the 28th American President from her favourite historical topic, stared back at her with a deadpan expression that she could have sworn said, '_Yeah you should be'. _

As silly as it sounded, Claire had always fantasised that her cat was able to understand her and even tried to reply to her attempt at conversation.

"Anyway you will never believe what happened today. Three new students have joined the so-called student body of Morganville high. A Goth by the name of Eve Rosser, a musician called Michael Glass and _Shane Collins_" Claire said, giving a breathy sigh upon speaking Shane's name.

Looking back at her cat, she let out an irritated huff at finding out that her cat felt more inclined to lick his bum than listen to what she had to say.

"I would ask you about your day, but I wouldn't want you to disrupt you from the obvious important of licking your furry behind" she said sarcastically.

She watched as her cats ears went back at her sniping comment and groaned when he turned to her with the large green eyes staring reproachfully up at her.

'_Why do you have to be so mean' _they seemed to say.

She face softened into a delicate smile when her furry friend started gently nuzzling her face as if to say, '_Please continue, I promise to listen this time'_.

"Well okay, if you insist. This new guy, Shane… he seems really nice and totally drop dead gorgeous (breathy sigh) and he even stood up to the queen bitch Monica. He keeps hanging around me and even when I was picked up from school he said, _see you tomorrow_. No one has ever said that to me" Claire explained looking at her cat to see his reaction.

He sat there, black fur gleaming in the sunlight and Claire watched as he titled his head adorably to the side.

To Claire it looked like he was asking, '_How do you feel about him?'_

"... Well, I don't know, I mean… I-I-I wonder that maybe he might be interested in me, maybe, as a friend or… something more. But then I think that of all the girls at school he could have any one to pick" Claire answered hesitantly, biting her lip and twirling a lock of her highlighted hair self-consciously.

Woodrow licked her cheek and patted his paw on the leather-bound book in front of her.

"You're right, I should write this down" she said, stroking his head gently and chuckling when he pushed his head into her hand, purring.

Lifting herself onto her knees, she swept her hair over her shoulder and reached back for the clasp that held a locket that rested gently near her throat. She carefully undid the necklace and lowered herself back into her previous position on her bed. Opening the locket, inside was a tiny silver key; fitting it into the lock that bound the book shut, she twisted it and listened carefully for the click.

As soon as the she heard it she returned the key to its resting place and repositioned the locket round her neck. Then she opened the book she slowly flicked through the pages, taking in the writing that adorned the pages in neatly slanted script.

Finding an empty page, she picked up a pen and began to pour her heart, soul, thoughts and feelings into this precious book.

_27/02/13_

_Dear diary,_

_Today at school I met some new people. They seemed really nice and they stood up to Monica. MONICA! THE QUEEN OF MORGANVILLE!_

_They weren't intimidated by her at all and they even defended me when Monica called me the human tap. I wish she wouldn't call me that, I mean I know I cry a lot and sometimes I can act like a baby but I just wish I had some friends. What is it about me that makes people dislike me so much. I try to be nice to everyone and I'm quiet and I never EVER tried to be smarter than Monica. I know I have asked this so many times but seriously why do people hate me so much…_

_Anyway, back to the point. The new students weren't like the others. They were unique. They didn't seem to care what other people thought about them; I mean the girl Eve walked around wearing combat boots and blue lipstick. BLUE LIPSTICK!_

_I had her in chemistry and she kept trying to make conversation with me. I feel a bit guilty that I never gave her a proper answer and mainly kept my head down by I was just a bit nervous. No one was ever that nice to me and I was worried that she would change and start acting like Monica if I started to talk to her properly. But she didn't seem to mind when I answered in one syllables. In fact, she talked so much for the both of us._

_I think she is in the relationship with that new guy Michael. He seems sweet but I feel a bit intimidated talking to him. He is so charming and I feel like I will say something to him that might embarrass me. He has a really sweet smile and I can tell he completely adores Eve with the way he looks at her. He seems to brighten when he sees her and his smile is breathtaking. I think he loves her. He carries a guitar on his back. I'm assuming he can play it. I wonder if he sings? Somehow I feel that if he can sing, he has a beautiful voice. He just has that look about him._

_And finally there is Shane. He is so cute and good-looking. From what Eve has told me about him, he seems like a slacker. I kind of thought that too with the way he started snoring in the middle of Calculus. It was so loud and I couldn't tell whether it was fake or not but it was hilarious. He is so funny and sweet and charming._

_He keeps trying to talk to me! I wonder if he likes me… like more than a friend. I get this funny feeling in my chest when he looks at me and smiles. It… feels like my heart is clenching and there is an almost unbearable heat around it. I feel like my head is going to explode._

… _I think, that I may possible be starting to- _

"Claire?"

A pounding on her bedroom door interrupted Claire's train of thought and she quickly closed her diary, locked it and thrust it underneath her pillow whilst saying, "Come in".

She withdrew her arm just as her door opened and her father stuck his head round.

"Hey princess, what are you doing?"

"Daaaaaddddd, don't call me princess. I'm too old for that" Claire wined, swinging her legs off of the bed so they dangled daintily over the edge.

Her father chuckled and entered the room. He was in his mid 40s and grey hair was already dying his brown hair. His gentle brown eyes mirrored Claire's identical ones. He was a good looking man with that cheeky smile that displayed his easy-going attitude.

Sitting next to Claire, he ruffled her hair and laughed when she let loose a high-pitched growl. Dodging her swiping hand he said, "You will always be my little princess Claire, no matter how old you grow. But if you want I could call you baby sumo instead?"

Claire looked like a deer caught in head lights.

"NO PLEASE DAD DON'T PRINCESS IS FINE PLEASE DON'T CALL ME THAT" Claire begged desperately.

Laughing her dad ruffled her hair again.

"Okay Okay princess, but you were such a cute chubby baby. Anyway your mother and I were going over to greet the new neighbours. She baked them an apple pie as a welcoming present. Wanna come?"

"Okay… Can we have some of mum's pie?"

"I think that's for the neighbours Claire, but if your lucky maybe they will invite us in for a slice" her dad replied cheekily.

Laughing she hopped off the bed and the two made their way out of the room.

* * *

The echo of the doorbell could be heard from outside the house. Claire was sweltering slightly from the heat and she pulled the large sunhat that rested on her hand and fanned herself before placing it on her head again.

She felt a hand stroke her hair and she turned to look back at her mum who smiled gently at her. Her mum had such a gentle soul; she worked with disabled kids and loved every one of them as if they were her own. Her mum had light blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

"You okay sweetie?" Her voice was soft and sweet and Claire felt herself relax just hearing it. Sending a small smile in her mum's direction she replied, "I'm fine, just a bit nervous".

"Well don't be, they are going to love you." Her mum tapped Claire on the cheek before they both turned back to the door when they heard a voice answer the doorbell with an, "I'm coming".

The door was opened and Claire froze at seeing who stood in the doorway. Standing in front of them, in tight black Jeans and a red shirt with a skull on it… was Shane.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

'_He hasn't recognised me yet'_ Claire realised and she felt a mixture of both relief and an emotion she was uncomfortably familiar with… disappointment.

"Hi there, my name is David and this is my wife Emily and our daughter Claire and we just wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood" Claire heard her dad say but she was so focused on the ground that she didn't see Shane jolt in surprise at the sound of her name and turn to look wonderingly in her direction.

"Well thank you, that's very kind of you. Let me just call the rest of my house mates. EVE. MICHAEL. WE HAVE VISITORS" Shane shouted over his shoulder.

Claire heard her mother whisper to her dad, "he sounds just like you" and her dad chuckled in response. Claire slowly lifted her head when she heard Eve stomp furiously across the floor growling, "I swear to God Shane, it really isn't that hard to just come up and get me instead of shouting so the entire neighbourhood hears… " Eve stopped her speech suddenly when seeing the neighbours in front of them.

Eve started to stutter slightly and apologizing to Claire's parents and Claire could of sworn she noticed a blush trying to show through Eve's white powder makeup.

"No it's quite alright, my husband does the exact same thing to get me and Claire down for dinner" Emily Danvers replied with a warm motherly smile. "We just came to welcome you to the neighbourhood and give you a welcoming present".

She handed Eve the apple pie just as Michael joined the rest of the house's occupants at the door.

"Thank you very much. That was very generous of you but it wasn't necessary" Michael said with a flash of that charming smile.

Looking at her mum, she watched as a pale almost unnoticeable blush graced her cheeks.

'_Wow, he's good'_ Claire thought in surprise.

"Well it was nice meeting you" David Danvers said shaking Michaels hand and the three turned round starting to head back.

"Claire?"

Claire felt herself tense when she heard Eve call out her name and she looked desperately at her parents for some help.

Her parents paused and looked at her in surprise before her mum nodded gently and her dad said, "We'll leave the door open so you can get in".

They then turned and made their way into the house.

Taking in a deep breath, Claire turned around so the side of her body was facing Eve, Shane and Michael who were standing there watching her quietly.

Suddenly she became aware of what she was wearing and blushed self-consciously. She was wearing a dress… not what typical teenagers wear even in this heat.

'_Great now they will think I'm a freak like everyone else_' she thought in exasperation to herself.

Raising her hand, she gave a small awkward wave while avoiding eye contact.

"Hey."

"I didn't know you were our neighbour, this is going to be so much fun. And you look so cute in that dress" Eve squealed while rushing out and throwing her arms around Claire.

Claire staggered from Eve unexpectedly throwing herself at her and blinked in surprise at Eve's reaction. She watched as Michael calmly made his way to Eve and pulled her gently off of Claire.

"Give her room to breathe Eve, your suffocating her. You alright Claire" Michael asked her. Claire felt a blush coming onto her face and nodded her head quickly in response.

"Yes thank you Michael".

"Good. Anyway, I'm sure your parents will want you back so we'll see you at school yeah?"

Again Claire nodded a little slower this time and graced Michael with a small smile. Seeing this made Michael smile bigger in return. He felt very protective towards this delicate girl and she did look really sweet when she smiled. He felt like she was his little sister even though they barely knew each other.

"Oh do you have to go. Oh well I guess I'll see you tomorrow" Eve pouted as she and Michael started heading back towards the house, looking over her shoulder at Claire.

"Yeah… s-s-see you tomorrow" Claire stuttered happily. This was the second time someone had said 'I'll see you tomorrow'.

Eve gave her a blinding happy smile and waved her hand energetically at her.

"Well see you later Claire Bear… I like that, Claire Bear; I'm calling you that from now on".

With that said, Eve and Michael headed back in doors. Claire turned around to start heading back inside when Shane's voice caused her to pause.

"Wait". Turning back to him she watched as he walked towards her with his hands in his pockets.

"So it looks like we're neighbours huh. Strange that. Big coincidence" he stated while looking over the street and watching a couple walk hand in hand down the street.

"Yeah. Complete coincidence" Claire replied, feeling silly that she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Her breath seemed to catch as Shane's dark smouldering gaze turned to rest on her. He leaned forward slightly and she closed her eyes upon feeling his warm breath next to her ear as he whispered, "you look beautiful in that dress by the way".

She knew she was brushing furiously as Shane withdrew, reached out and stroked a piece of hair behind her ear before shoving his hand back into his pocket and walking away.

"See you later" he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Claire stood there staring as she watched Shane walk into his house and shut the door behind him. She was jostled from her thoughts when a breeze picked up and tried to sweep her hat from her head. Holding her hat down on her head she headed back to her house but not before pausing and whispering, "bye".

* * *

Shane watched from the window as Claire rushed back into her house and swept his hand through his hair.

She really did look beautiful; her white dress was swaying slightly in the wind and her hat on top of her head made her look simply divine and pure in the sunlight.

He frowned slightly at himself. He had never felt this way about a girl before and he had had plenty of girlfriends.

He heard Eve and Michael playfully bickering in the background and made his decision with a crooked grin.

He will try to woo Claire and get her to like him back. He had a feeling she was quite old fashioned and he was curious to see if how a relationship would work between the two of them.

**So what did you think. If I am honest I was quite proud of this chapter. Oh and if anyone thinks Claire seems really childish in this I would agree but I think that if she had no friends and was always called a crybaby she would act a bit childish anyway. And I thought she was a bit childish in the first Morganville book 'A glass house' anyway so this is my interpretation of it.**

**Hope you enjoyed. Please Review and let me know. **

**ChaPow out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey so I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed... your all amazing and remember that if you have any ideas about where you want this story to go, please suggest them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Morganville... or Shane and Michael :-(**

When Claire woke up the next day she felt like she was on cloud nine. Jumping swiftly out of her bed she took a steaming hot shower and began to prepare for the day.

However, she did not go through her ordinary morning preparations; she washed her hair in the shower and dried it so her hair fell in glossy curls down her back.

She spent at least 30 minutes going through her wardrobe to pick out the outfit she was going to wear that day; 25 minutes more than she would normally take.

Finally she sat at her dressing table in front of a small, delicate mirror, an old family air loom that had been passed down from generation to generation, from mother to daughter.

Gently blowing, she blew the dust off of the make up bag her mother bought her when she first started high school. Having found no need to wear it since no boy had ever taken interest in her, she hadn't even taken it out of its original packaging.

Lifting an inexperienced hand Claire attempted to apply eyeliner along the top of her eyelid. After the 3rd time poking herself in the eye, she screamed in frustration and dropped her head in her arms.

Who was she kidding! She would never be able to capture Shane's attention by simply putting on make up when much prettier, more voluptuous women like Monica Morrell walking around.

Glancing down sadly, she looked at her near non-existent chest. She felt tears pricking her eyesand wiped them away angrily. Looking at her reflection in the memory, she started to reach for a make up wipe to remove the clown make up currently dirtying her face.

Pausing when she heard a knock, she saw her movie standing at the door.

"Sweetie, are you alright? I heard a scream" her mother asked softly, concern evident in both her voice and her gaze.

"I'm fine mum, just getting ready for school" Claire answered, turning and looking at the twin in the mirror in disgust.

Watching her daughter fiddle with the wipe in her hands, Emily Danvers smiled fondly at her little girl before treading her way softly to her.

Bending down so they were level, she gently wiped the tears from Claire's face and cupped it with her warm hands.

Lifting it so they were looking eye to eye she told her, "Claire you don't need any make up. You're beautiful as you are".

Claire hiccupped as she replied, "You have to say that because you're my mother."

"It's true Claire; you are the most precious thing I have ever seen in my life". Pausing when her daughter continued to hiccup sadly, she tilted her head as a thought occurred to her. "Is this about a boy honey?"

Watching as Claire's face lit up like a beacon, she knew she had found her answer. Reaching for the make up that lay abandoned on the table, she swept the hair of Claire's face.

"Here, let me help".

When David Danvers came to check up on why his family wasn't downstairs for breakfast he was greeted by a sight that warmed his heart.

He saw the two most precious women in his life laughing and giggling as his gorgeous wife did his little princess's make up.

He smiled contentedly at the scene and turned quietly around to leave, trying not to disturb the precious scene before him.

* * *

Shane rested against his locker and his gaze seemed to be resting permanently on the hallway. He could hear students walking around him, banging open lockers, moaning loudly about the shared hatred of the morning.

The most obvious moaning being the little gothic ray of sunshine currently draped across Michael behind him.

"The light… it's too blinding… I can feel myself burning" Eve moaned dramatically as she lifted her hand to block out the blinding Texas sun.

Shane snorted and finally lifted his attention away from the hallway to look at his disgruntled looking housemate.

"I swear to God Eve, sometimes I think you're a vampire. How can you hate this gorgeous weather?"

"Someone just hasn't had their coffee this morning and is a little grump" Michael grinned as he pinched his girlfriends pale cheeks.

Eve batted the hand away and glared at the two boys. Even her outfit seemed to express her disgust for the light that blared down on her. Wearing a black t-shirt with a stake on it tucked into a fluffy black skirt, combat boots and a nose piercing, her whole outfit seemed to scream talk to me and you die.

"It's way too early for this and your damn right I'm grumpy without my cup of delicious caffeine goodness, Michael Glass" Eve grumbled. "Go and get me some coffee slave."

"Is that anyway to treat your boyfriend? Who you calling slave? I'm not here to fetch you coffee now am I."

"Then what good are you" Eve pouted.

Michael held a hand over his heart and gave his most reprimanded look.

"You wound me, like a stake to the heart."

Eve rolled her eyes at his dramatic act and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Shane, as only Shane could, decided to interrupt the loving moment with a scarily accurate impression of throwing up. Turning his attention back to the hall way, he was irritated and annoyed to see a rather large bug in tight designer clothing standing in front of his view.

"Hey Shane, how's it going" Monica purred in what she thought to be a seductive voice.

Huffing sharply Shane attempted to brush the pest out of his way. Monica looked shocked for a moment at the brush off, before she flipped her hair and returned to her attempts at seduction.

Leaning up on her tiptoes, which was quite an achievement considering the heels she had chosen to wear today had practically moulded her feet into a pointy shape, she whispered in his ear, "Come on Shane, you know you can't resist me. We would look good together as a couple, don't you think" before taking his ear lobe teasingly between her teeth.

Disgusted he shoved her sharply away before he told her to leave him alone. At least that's what he started to say before something caught his eye.

The students were parting down the middle of the hallway like the Red Sea to Moses. Walking down the middle was a gorgeous girl with shoulder length hair with brown glossy curls. Her large brown eyes were made edgy and mysterious with black eyeliner and mascara. Her pouty lips glistened with the right shade of lip gloss; a pale peach colour which only contributed to the seductively innocent picture, complete with a gentle blush painting her cheeks.

"Oh My God" Monica gritted out as she stared at the girl in front of her, her mouth hanging open in shock.

Shane was also staring wide eyed at the girl but it was more out of surprise than shock. The girl in front of him bit her lip in a totally adorable gesture and fiddled with her hair self-consciously.

"Hi Shane."

Her voice sounded like music to his ears and he snapped out of his shock-induced phase and stepped forwards.

"Claire? Is that you?"

Claire blushed again and clutched her books closer to her body. She was wearing tight fitting black Jeans and a strappy white vest top with a leather jacket on top.

"Yes it's me."

"You look… I mean, you look…" Shane stuttered.

Claire looked panicked; "D-d-do you not like it?"

Taking Claire's hands, resting his forehead on hers and staring deep into her brown eyes he had started to grown to love he whispered, "Claire… you look fine girl".

As a sweet smile of relief lit up Claire's face Shane, ignoring Monica's spluttering in the background, leant forward and planted a gentle kiss on her petite mouth.

**So what did you think? Totally Random? Did it fit with the story? **

**Review, please please, Review.**

**ChaPow Out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**OMG I am so sorry for not updating but I got serious writers block and then I was ill and I have exams and I... should be slapped and hurt by everyone of you for not updating every wednesday like I promises. I am afraid that I can't update as often as I did before since my grades have fallen and sometimes I can't afford to write another chaptor instead of revising.**

**I apologise for all of you who have waited long and hope this chapter makes up for it. **

**On a brighter note, just found out that Rachel Caine is releasing 3 more books... I was so happy especially after the ending of the last one. For those of you who havent read it I won't spoil it for you but here is some advice... HURRY UP AND READ IT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Michael, Eve, Shane, Claire... or any of the morganville characters. (Cries)**

Any noise that echoed in the hallway simply became background noise to Claire; all she could focus on was the feel of Shane's lips as they moved against her own.

Her eyes, which had widened at the unexpected kiss, slowly drifted closed as she felt her body gravitate up towards Shane's.

His hand which had been resting on her shoulder drew up and brushed some hair of her face before settling at the back of her neck.

She could feel him gently tilting her head upwards and it shocked her how compliant her body was to his gentle commands.

Claire's first kiss was being stolen and it was unlike anything she had ever imagined. She thought it would be rough, passionate, intense; she thought that her prince charming would be kissing her so as to prove his dominance over her, to prove his ownership in front of other suitors.

But this…. this was better.

His lips were soft, smooth and perfectly moist; not dry, cracked or too wet.

She felt his tongue gently lick her lip playfully, and out of instinct more than knowledge or experience did she open her mouth and let him in.

His tongue gently probed hers and she shyly responded. She couldn't help but think that he tasted good; it wasn't like in the movies or books when they say that the protagonists could taste the rainbow (although Shane did taste a bit like skittles) or fireworks exploded when their lips met. Shane's taste was hot and spicy and as weird as it sounded, this was how she imagined he tasted.

Slowly she felt Shane withdraw from her lips and to her horror she felt her head lean up as if to follow. Shane's chuckle informed her of what she had done and Claire let out a squeak of embarrassment and ducked her head in shame.

A soft kiss planted on her forehead brought her out of her mortified state and she glanced back up at Shane, fully prepared to see him laughing at the blatant desperation.

But the vision she saw melted her heart; Shane's soft brown eyes sparkled with a fond and gentle look as he gazed down at her. Although he wasn't smiling, he had a content look on his face.

He looked… Tranquil and the sight was breathtaking.

Claire felt her heart quicken again as Shane started to lean down and she closed her eyes in preparation for another kiss, her lips parted softly.

But her breath hitched as she felt Shane's hot breath against her ear as he leant down to say…

"Everyone is watching us!"

These words broke the trance she was in and she looked around startled. Sure enough, the entire Morganville student body was standing stock-still and were watching the pair in astonishment. Majority had their mouths meeting the floor, even a couple of teachers were frozen in the act of walking into their classroom or the staff room.

A quick glance over at Monica saw steam coming from her ears and her face turning an blotchy red colour.

Most of the jocks were looking at them puzzled; Claire wouldn't have been surprised if she saw them scratching their heads like apes in confusion.

Finally Eve had both her hands intertwined in front of her and she looked like any minute she was going to burst out in a humungous squeal and do a happy dance whilst Michael looked calm and collected, leaning against the locked with his hands in his pocket and giving her a knowing smile.

Claire squealed again and turned and buried her head into Shane's chest with her hands covering her face. She felt the chuckle that rumbled through Shane's body as his strong arms wrapped around her.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE" Monica screamed, looking around wildly at everyone.

"I believe Claire just got a boyfriend" Eve said, singing the last part.

Huffing angrily, Monica stepped forward and ripped Shane and Claire apart before shoving Claire roughly to the floor.

"Hey what's your problem" Shane shouted angrily before stepping over to help her up.

"My problem is with her. The loser wasn't supposed to end up with you; I was supposed to end up with you. THOSE ARE THE RULES OF HIGHSCHOOL. CLAIRE DANVERS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE BUG WHO NO ONE TALKS TO UNLESS I SAY SO."

By the end of her speech Monica was almost nose to nose with Shane and the two were staring death at each other.

"What's wrong Monica, Bitch lose her crown?" a voice suddenly mocked from behind her.

Monica turned around to stare incredulously at the speaker. "Excuse me?"

Claire was currently glaring coldly at the queen of Morganville high.

"Are you hard of hearing? I said, Bitch lose her crown?"

"What did you just call me Bug" Monica asked through gritted teeth.

"Well it looks like I'm gonna have to spell it out for you", speaking slowly for effect, "I…. said…. Bitch… lose… her… crown?"

The tension was high in the corridor as everyone slowly backed away from the pair. They were standing only a couple of metres apart and glaring so hard that, well, lets say if looks could hurt…

Students were beginning to notice things about Claire that they had never noticed before, like the fact that even in heels Claire was just as tall as Monica.

Claire had drawn herself up to her full height, her brown eyes darkening in her anger. To Shane she looked so sexy right at this moment. But, despite how sexy anger looked on her, he preferred her sweet, gentle smile that lit up her whole face in an instant.

"Listen Bug, you don't seem to realise who your messing with…"

"Oh don't worry about that, I know exactly who I'm talking to. And you should know that I am sick and tired of you pushing me around like a little toy just because I made you look dumb in front of a bunch of guys. If I'm honest, it isn't really that hard, even a monkey could do it" Claire sneered.

A collective "OOOOH" and "BURN" echoed throughout the hallways and in the corner of her eye Claire saw Eve and Michael high five each other.

"SHUT UP" Monica screamed almost hysterically before turning her furiously icy blue eyes back onto Claire. Stalking up to her, she grabbed her by the front of her t-shirt and pulled her so close Claire could feel her spit on her face.

"_This isn't over_" she hissed.

Reaching up and roughly detaching Monica's hands from the front of her t-shirt. Claire leaned forward and placed her mouth next to Monica's ear, much like Shane had done earlier.

"I know this isn't over and I wouldn't expect it to be. But I hope you know that you can do anything, and I can take it. This is just the start. There will be a rebellion and you will lose your crown. But don't worry… daddy can always buy you a new one" Claire whispered before withdrawing and giving Monica an overly sweet smile.

Monica made a wordless scream of anger before turning around and shooing people out of her way with her hands as the scuttled off with the moniquettes trailing behind her.

Taking a deep breath to steady her rapidly beating heart, Claire was stunned to hear applause erupt from the hallway and glanced around to see students cheering for her.

"All right, enough of the drama, back to class you brats" Oliver barked and there was a flurry of movement as students made their way to their designated classes. But not before some giving a Claire a pat on the back with a 'way to go girl' or 'nice one Danvers'.

Soon their was almost no one in the hallway but Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael and a few stragglers.

"OMG did you see the look on that Bitch's face. You totally slammed her Claire" Eve squealed whilst jumping on Claire for a bone breaking hug.

"It was nothing" Claire squeaked out as the breath was pushed out of her.

"Eve your suffocating her" Michael said, amused.

"Oops sorry" Eve backed off and smoothed her skirt down in her attack, "But seriously Claire Bear, way to grow a back bone".

Claire, having reverted back to her shy self, felt herself growing red and scratched the back of her neck nervously.

"Do you think I was too harsh on her? I didn't want to sound like a Bitch but I felt like she was ruining a good thing and I was so tired of her ratting on me and…"

"Calm down Claire, what you said was totally true and she needed to hear it. Now don't get me wrong I don't think she is gonna get off her broom and started granting wishes like a good witch but you gave other students the confidence to stand up to her now."

Putting an arm around his feisty girlfriend, Michael gave Claire a sweet smile that still caused Claire's heart to race.

"We have got to get to class so we will see you later" pulling a protesting Eve with him Michael paused before saying over his shoulder, "way to go Claire".

With the two walking off Claire turned round to face the only other person currently sharing the air with her.

However, she didn't look into his eyes, too afraid of what she would find there. She began to fiddle with her leather jacket whilst waiting for him to say something.

She was afraid that he had not liked the kiss as much as she had.

Was this his first kiss?

Had he had better kisses?

Did he regret kissing her?

Did he…

"Are you okay" his husky voice broke through her musings.

"Yeah I-I'm fine" She replied quietly, still avoiding all eye contact.

"We had better get to class". Despite what he had said, he made no attempt to go. He seemed to be… waiting for something.

Slowly Claire unthawed her body from its previous frozen state and was gathering the courage to move her arm. She unclenched her hand and slowly touched the tips of her fingers to the Shane's rough palm. She did it slowly so as to give Shane enough time to withdraw his hand, but if he did that, she didn't think her heart could take it.

But Shane's hand gripped hers without hesitation and she found herself once again whipping her head up sharply to search Shane's eyes for any sign of trickery or malevolence.

Shane's eyes only held understanding and fondness, and with a slight inclination of his head he answered her unspoken question.

With a new found confidence revitalising her, Claire gave a full blown smile and the two headed off to class.

* * *

Monica completely ignored the teacher droning on about a play written by Shake-what's-his-name and about a weirdo who killed someone and had daydreams about knives. She was still seething inside about what Claire had said to her and she was currently tapping her nails in order to contain her anger

'_How did the little worm ever find the courage to stand up to me like that… the little brat'_ Monica thought maliciously.

Clicking her neck roughly, she zoned back into the room for a moment to listen to the continuing whispers that had been floating about the school since the confrontation.

"_Did you see what happened?"_

"_Danvers totally slammed Monica!"_

"_Serves her right..."_

"_SSShhh she'll hear you…."_

"_So! Who cares, its about time someone told that Bitch whats happening…"_

Monica cracked her knuckles menacingly and the whispers died down but Monica knew that the damage had already been done. Students who despised Monica would be encouraged to rise up against her and she couldn't let that happen.

She was queen of this high school and she needed to remain control.

'_Looks like I'll need to make an example of someone, and I know just who to pick. Look out, little Claire, I'm coming to get you'._

**...Wow, even I'm scared. But awww, I want a Boyfriend like Shane!**

**WHY WILL NO ONE LOVE ME...**

**Too Desperate?**

**Well please review and tell me what you think and remember guys I love it when people put in their own ideas for my stories.**

**Also who can guess the play reference? I thought it was easy but I want to see if you guys get it!**

**ChaPow Out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**OMG you guys i am soooo sorry for the long wait... but im back now, and im going to finish this story, whether you like it or not! This is my longest chapter yet so i hope that kind of makes up for my absence! Also, now that i'm off school and into my summer holidays its gonna be much much easier now. So just sit back, relax and hopefully enjoy this chapter xx**

**Disclaimer: ... what ive said in all the other chapters :-p**

The rest of the day flew by in a blur for Claire, but for as long as she could remember; she had never felt so happy being at the institution of her own personal hell.

Ever since she had stood up to Monica that morning, teachers and students alike have been treating her with a new found respect. They no longer mocked her for sticking her hand up in class every time the teacher asked the class a question; rather they all tended to fall silent, listening intently as she stuttered her way through her explanation. She was unused to such attention and found it rather disconcerting.

Some students have even begged her to tutor them in classes.

Due to her new found popularity she had started receiving certain looks from guys… not that she noticed any of them. She only had her eyes on one guy; her gorgeous new boyfriend. Whilst simultaneously managing to pay close attention to her studies, she would spend most of her classes gazing out of the window with Shane firmly on her mind.

Said boyfriend, however, had noticed these looks and felt a smugness rise up in him in. He was now dating the most beautiful, intelligent and desirable girl in the whole of Morganville High.

Titles meant nothing to Shane though, and he couldn't help but get angry at the fact that people were only noticing this amazing person now only after she slammed the Queen Bitch.

But, despite this annoying little fact, he didn't have it in him to mention this to Claire, as it was obvious to him that the idea of having friends, or even having some guy even remotely display half the amount of attention and affection towards her was completely and utterly foreign to her.

In short, he somehow knew that she was treasuring this moment, probably under the impression that it was fleeting, that it would disappear if she didn't hold it tight enough.

"….ane, Hey shane, are you even listening to me?"

Shane was brought sharply out of his musings by a hard thump to the head. Turning to glare at the culprit, who only sent a sarcastically sweet smile back, he began to rub the throbbing spot.

"What did you do that for…I was listening" he grumbled.

"Oh yeah? What was the last thing I said?"

"Something completely unimportant probably", this response rewarded him with a duplicate thump to the head as before with the same amount of violence; "Ow WOULD YOU QUIT HITTING ME!"

"Yeah you're right; you wouldn't want to lose anymore brain cells would you".

Shane sighed and turned his head back to his previous activity.

Shane, Michael and Eve were sitting at their usual table in the school cafeteria for lunch and were currently waiting for the last person of their group to join.

"As I was saying, before you rudely interrupted", at this Shane grumbled under his breath only to hold his hands up in defence when Eve raised her knuckled threateningly, "I think Claire might be in some trouble with Monica!"

This finally pulled Shane's full attention to Eve but it was Michael who answered his questioning look.

"Monica seems to have been getting a bit more physical with Claire recently".

Shane felt as if his heart had stopped in his chest and been replaced with a block of ice. Unintentionally, he lifted his hand and fisted his shirt just above his heart, almost as if the action was an attempt to warm his heart up from this horribly cold feeling he was experiencing.

"Getting more physical how exactly?"

"Your about to see" Michael answered and nodded in the direction of the cafeteria doors.

Shane whipped his head towards the door and felt his blood beginning to boil.

Standing between the two doors was Claire; she was smiling and waving as she walked towards them and she looked her normal, beautiful self if not for the colouring bruise that spanned the left side of her face.

Shane stood up and started making his way towards her as he noticed she was just walking past Monica's table, which for someone reason lacked the aforementioned person, and he witnessed the brief glance Monica's lackeys gave each other.

* * *

Claire packed up her stuff in record time and almost tripped over her own feet as she tried to exit the classroom as quickly as possible, eliciting small laughs from her peers. She could feel the heat of a blush creep up her neck but she ignored it in favour of her dash for the cafeteria.

Besides, for some reason the laughs didn't upset her as much as they normally would have; they were gentle, almost as if the teens around her found her clumsiness endearing, rather than pitiful, and were inviting her to join in on the joke, rather than her being the butt of the joke.

She continued rushing towards the cafeteria, dodging round students, causing the few that still seemed to resent her to curse loudly as she almost knocked them over in her hurry. In the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware of the angered surprise of the teachers who were shouting across the hallway the typical _'no running down the hall'._

Normally that angered bellow would make her nervous; even when it was not directed at her, she hated it when the teachers got angry, always trying to make herself as small as possible.

She had always had a problem with authority and despite her participation in classes and being one of the only ones who ever attempted to ask the teachers questions; whenever their attention was directly on her, she would suddenly feel the urge to fidget and could never maintain eye contact with them. It was the same even with the kindest and her favourite of the teachers.

But now she couldn't find it within herself to care, too focused on meeting her new friends (and boyfriend) in the cafeteria to even think about giving the teacher the time of day.

It's amazing what a sudden burst of popularity could do for ones confidence, especially in high school!

Spying the cafeteria doors ahead, she skidded to a halt as she neared them and pushed the doors open enough for her to slip in; leaning against them as they closed, her eyes spanned the room as she searched for her friends. Her eyes crinkled into a relieved smile as she spotted Eve, Shane and Michael at the back, talking amongst themselves.

Heading towards them, she lifted her hand in a wave as she saw Shane turn his attention towards her, and she felt a shiver fire up her nerves as she watched him get up out of his seat and head towards her.

'_Is he coming to escort me to my seat? Oh how romantic! Or maybe he'll walk up to me, pull me into his arms and kiss right in the middle of the cafeteria, with everyone watching'_ Claire thought dreamily, not noticing the worried expression on her boyfriend's face.

So caught up in her romancing, she also failed to notice Gina extend her leg into her pathway.

Suddenly Claire felt as if the floor had been pulled out from beneath her and she got a view of the ground as her face went tumbling towards it. She closed her eyes and prepared for the pain that would no doubt come when her nose breaks from the impact.

But no pain greeted her; instead she felt strong arms catch her, sweep her off her feet and she was pulled close to a very familiar chest. Glancing up, she saw the worried gaze of her boyfriend looking down on her and she felt a little lightheaded.

She still could not believe that this amazing, sweet and totally hot guy was her boyfriend.

"Are you alright" his deep, masculine voice, still tinted with worry and a little bit of anger, broke through the haze in her mind and brought her back to the present.

"Oh", she felt herself blush at being caught zoning out, "don't worry Shane, I'm alright. This sort of thing happens on a regular basis". She sent him a reassuring smile before she attempted to squeeze past him, slightly mortified and embarrassed, to where Michael and Eve had sat up in their seats and were watching the events before them with cautious eyes.

Before Claire could get any further she felt Shane's warm hand encircle her wrist and tug her gently back round to face him. She watched as he lifted his warm hand and gently caressed the side of her bruised face.

She couldn't hold back the flinch at the touch. She had almost completely forgotten it was there, and her mind flitted back to the events that morning.

Shane definitely did not miss it. His normally gently brown eyes had hardened and they glinted with a vengeance. Claire whipped her head up as she felt Shane's warmth leave her and watched with growing horror as he began heading towards Monica's table, which had now been joined by said person.

"S-s-hane, wait a minute…" Claire did not want a confrontation over her so she began to hurry forwards, but not before sending a pleading look towards Michael and Eve, who were also quickly making their way to stop their hot-headed roommate.

* * *

Monica gazed up at Shane unimpressed as he slammed his hands down of the table in front of her, breathing heavily with anger. A thrill ran down her spine; she had never seen anyone look so hot when they were angry.

"What did you do to Claire?" He spoke in a deadly whisper, but it carried throughout the cafeteria as once again, they all had stopped to watch the events currently unfolding.

'_Seriously, do they not have anything better to do than watch us'_ Shane thought in the back of his mind.

"I don't quite know what you mean". Her voice dripped with a disgustingly sweet tone. Shane could only assume that this slut thought it sounded innocent.

"THE HELL YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT". His shout made Claire flinch but he felt her relax when he reached out and pulled her into a hug, her back to his chest, and he gently turned her face to the side so the Monica had full view of the damage he suspected that she had inflicted.

Shane watched Monica's face carefully for a reaction and felt a satisfaction when Monica's eyes sparked anger at the obvious display of affection and he saw red when triumph flashed briefly through the cold mirrors of ice when she saw the bruise.

He started forwards, fully prepared to give Monica a symmetrical bruise to match Claire's, when a jock, roughly the same size as him stepped in front of Monica. Sensing a threat, he also pushed Claire behind him protectively.

Tensing his fists and tightening the muscles in his legs, he prepared to throw the first blow when he felt Michaels hand clamp down on his shoulder.

Obviously Michael felt the need to restrain him. Blood was running through him like red hot lava; he felt pumped and his body was itching for a fight.

'Michael' he growled warningly. Michael didn't reply, but fixed him with a stern gaze that spoke volumes.

He was fully aware of what the warning said; 'Don't attempt to start a fight now, you'll only make things worse and you might leave them an opening to get back at Claire'.

The last thing he wanted was Claire to get caught in the cross fire. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and was startled to see her trembling with her head down, with Eve trying unsuccessfully to calm her down and look at her.

When there was little success, Eve turned slightly pleading eyes towards Shane and shook her head. Obviously violence was all too familiar to Claire; and an all out brawl would probably cause her to have a panic attack.

With this in mind, he took a deep breath to calm himself as he stepped out of the Jock's personal space and pulled his shaking girlfriend into his arms. He felt his temper spike at the sound of Monica's shrieking laugh echoing around the cafeteria at the defeated action.

"Awww, too bad Shane. Maybe next time" Monica said mockingly, tilting her head to the side with a victory smile.

Shane ground his teeth into an attempt to prevent himself from planting one right into Monica's smug face and instead turned his attention towards Gina. Releasing Claire for a brief moment, he slowly made his way to her, watching emotions fly across her face. Gina's previous bitchy face had quickly turned frightened as Shane's enraged eyes were turned on her.

She began to shake as he leaned down to whisper heatedly into her ear, "if you ever, attempt to trip Claire like that again, I will kill you!" Now it wasn't the most inventive threat she had ever heard, but it was the scariest. He said it with zero emotion in his voice; no hesitation, remorse, or even joking colouring his tone. Somehow, Gina knew he was deadly serious. He would keep his word.

So, with an almost undetectable nod of her head, she let him know that she understood and he drew back satisfied. He headed back to Claire, Michael and Eve, who had been watching the exchange silently, and with a hand on Claire's back, guided them back to the table.

Monica watched them go with narrowed eyes.

'_This is only the beginning'_ she thought vindictively.

As they headed back to their table, they felt the tense atmosphere slowly start to dissipate and chatter began to fill the room, rising in volume until it seemed like the confrontation had never occurred.

* * *

Claire breathed a sigh of relief, and focused her attention on the warm hand rubbing circles into her back to calm her nerves.

Despite her relief, however, she also felt a high level of irritation. She felt irritated with herself at having reverted back to her normal, meek self, at how easily her confidence had seemed to disperse at the first sign of commotion.

She knew that it was her issue with violence that caused the regression; being bullied severely for years, everyday without fail has caused her body to react to even the smallest hint of animosity.

But that still didn't stop the small bulb of resentment to bloom inside her.

'_Pathetic' _she thought in disgust.

She slumped in her seat and rested her chin on her arms and glared angrily at the table in front of her, barely aware of the others taking their seats, exchanging looks with each other as she chastised herself.

"Claire?" She heard Shane call out to her softly, obviously trying to gain her attention but she felt too ashamed of herself to grant him that. So she merely flicked her eyes to the side, the simple action informing him of her attention.

From the way his mouth drew into a thin line, she could see that he was very displeased with that, and she felt his hand lift her chin up and force her to look into his eyes.

She felt his soulful eyes search her, and she felt a pang of panic rush through her. What if he saw her weakness? Would he think her pitiful? She lowered her eyes, unable to bear the thought of him seeing her emotions which she knew her eyes displayed too easily.

"Claire", she closed her eyes at the tone of his voice, which sounded almost… pleading; "could you tell me how you got that bruise?"

Surprise didn't begin to describe her reaction to his question. Her eyes flew open and she turned her gaze straight to the one she had just been avoiding.

Was he being serious? Didn't he find her pathetic? If she didn't know any better, from the sound of his voice it sounded like he almost… cared.

She felt her body relax and she almost wanted to laugh at their shocked faces as her mouth slipped into a stunning smile. All her insecurities seemed to slip away with that simple question, and she felt the happiness that she felt before the incident flood back into her.

'_Maybe_, _just this once, he isn't too good to be true' _she inwardly sighed, gazing at him.

Realizing everyone was still waiting for an answer, she straightened her body up and a thoughtful expression came onto her face.

"It happened this morning at gym. We were playing dodge ball, just my luck, and every ball coming from Monica's team somehow seemed to swerve towards me. 1 ball seemed to get a lucky shot in and hit me straight in the face".

She stated the incident in a matter of fact tone of voice and watched curiously as one by one her friends each displayed their individual show of concern.

Eve's eyes narrowed into slits and she turned and glared in Monica's general direction.

Michael was watching Claire, his eyes following and analyzing the bruise on her face with a caring and sad look in his baby blue eyes.

Shane's face was like an open book and his body language told Claire everything she needed to know. His face was clenched in anger as he glared daggers at the poor innocent table, his back taunt as his hands clenched the wood of the table till they began turning white.

"I'm gonna kill them" he hissed vehemently and he made as if to stand up.

Claire caught his bicep as he moved and was rewarded with an adorably confused look. She bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing and gently shook her head.

"Leave it alone".

"But why? Claire, those bitches deserve every little bit of comeuppance for treating you like that" Eve asked incredulously.

Claire smiled. "That's just it. Ignoring them and carrying on as if nothing had happened will hit them harder than we could ever do in a fight. Trust me, it will drive Monica nuts if she thinks that whats she's done hasn't affected us at all. Besides", she added, glancing over to Monica who was trying to suffocate one of the jocks with her well-endowed bosom, "She's not worth it."

Eve stared at her for a minute before smirking.

"Well look at you Claire Bear", Eve gave a dramatic sniffle and lifted her hand to wipe an imaginary tear away from her eye, "my baby's all grown up and saving China".

Claire burst out laughing as Michael rolled his eyes.

Shane slumped down in his seat with a huff and wrapped his arm around Claire, pulling her close to him.

"Well if that's what you want" he murmured into her hair. If she didn't know any better, Claire would've said he almost sounded disappointed.

"It is" she replied gently. A burst of confidence erupted in her and she leaned up and gave Shane a kiss which he immediately deepened, moving his lips softly against hers. She giggled into the kiss as she felt his tongue gently swipe her bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. She immediately granted it and she closed her eyes at the sound of Shane moaning slightly, his tongue twisting with hers as they danced together. Claire reached up to encircle her arms round his neck, practically sitting in Shane's lap as she felt his warm hands run up her back to slip into her hair, tilting her head back ever so slightly so as to get a better angle.

"EWWWW! Alright break it up you two. Too much PDAE" Eve grumbled as she leaned over the table and swatted at the two.

Claire pulled out of the kiss due to the overwhelming urge to laugh at Eve's antics and slight embarrassment at making out with an audience while Shane looked rather disgruntled at being interrupted.

"What the hell Eve? I don't say anything when you and Mickey make out at home".

"Don't bring me into this."

Shane childishly stuck his tongue out at the calm intermission from Michael.

"Oh and Eve… what the hell is PDAE?"

"You know, PDAE!"

"I think you mean PDA".

"No I mean PDAE, Public Displays of Affection in front of Eve!"

* * *

Monica felt her hands clench tightly into fists as she glared over at _that_ table. Hearing the sound of that little wimp laughing caused her to ground her teeth together in anger, her eyes narrowing into slits as she slowly worked herself into a fit of rage.

The Jocks and cheerleaders around her began to lean away apprehensively as they felt the killer intent coming off her in waves.

'_It wasn't supposed to happen like this. What we did to her this morning was supposed to scare the little brat off. And then Shane and Michael were supposed to see her for the pathetic little bug she was and come running back to me'._

Monica slammed her fist aggressively against the table, causing Jennifer to jump terribly and knock over her carton of juice onto Monica's designer bag.

Horrified, Jennifer began to mop up the mess, stammering apologies to the head cheerleader, flinching as she turned towards her, half expecting to be shouted at and belittled in front of the entire student body.

"You two" Monica barked, causing both Jennifer _and _Gina to flinch, "tomorrow we commence with phase two of the plan. Obviously the little wench has not learned her lesson. So we need to give her a second warning".

Both of the moniquettes watched, truly frightened, as the Queen of Morganville high squeezed a can of drink tightly in her hand, causing the juice to squirt out of it from the pressure.

'_This time, there will be no mercy'_ she thought viciously.

**SO there you have it! The 8th chapter after such a long wait..**.

**Now, I have a confession to make! I hate my writing! Hate it! It visibly upsets me when i read it i hate it so much! I read all these good fanfics on the internet and it annoys me that i have all these ideas in my head and yet i cant seem to make the stories flow in my writing. When i upload a chapter, its usually after loads and loads of editing and even then i only upload it when im satisfied... not happy, satisfied!**

**So too all my fellow writers out there, if you have any tips to help me with my writing, please let me know! I also welcome any and all criticisms.**

**Honestly, if you dont like something please tell me. I want to get better at writing and reviews always help me do that!**

**So please please please review!**

**ChaPow Out!**


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